Vacuum vessel and illuminating device



Dec. 1l, 1934. F. HOTCHNER 1,984,215

VACUUM VESSEL AND ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed Jan. 16, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l @ff/7W Dec. ll,` 1934. F. HOTCHNER vVACUUM VESSEL AND ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed Jan. 16, 1951I 4 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 R o T N E V m Dec. 11, 1934.

Filed Jan. 16, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet /N VEN TOR Dec. l1, 1934. F. HOTCHNER VACUUM VESSEL AND ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed Jan. 16, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 /NVEN TOR Patented Dec. 11, 1934 fin-.-

vSS'EL `DEVI Fred Hotchner,fLosAngelegCalif.V l-

fi "l *Application January 416, IQASILNSei-iallo. 50192553" A. l

This invention .relates to a vvacuum vesselhaving a generally flattened-form.l --Several embodimentsv of the` invention are 'shown in theform of illuminatingdevices in which radiation is generated by electric conduction through a gaseous medium within 4the vessel. fTh'ese -devices are shown for purposes-of illustration, it' being understood that thef newv featuresI hereindisclosed may ,be-utilizedin numerousitypes-of vacuum vessels. rTheprocess of forming' these vessels is disclosed in my Patent No. 1,867,154, dated July 12,1932; 1 f .-g An object of the invention is to provide a vessel having a generally iiattenedrV form capable of resisting thel pressure ofthe-atmosphere when a. vacuumis drawn therewithin -without providing thickwallsfto-resist the atmosphere over-an appreciable percentage ofthe total area thereof.:,f lIt is contemplated that the walls 01E these clevices. maybe as thin as the walls of incandescent lamps.` In the .prior art, vacuum vesselsf-have been made havingthinlwalls but-in ,mostf-cases the general shape was that vof asolid-of Arevolution in. which allv portions of the walls .-werearched, so that the pressure of the atmosphere isgresistfedby compression in the walls-themselves .rather than by shear. Whereany considerable-extent of the walls is flattened, .the atmospheric pressure naturally tends to press the same in-and while devices are known in whichflatwalls .areprovided, these walls are -in--all suchcases madevery thick to resist atmospheric pressure .by shear. l, In the preferredforrn'` of the present invention, it is provided that portions-of the opposing walls are so formed as to come .in contact with-each other when the device is finished and that the remaining portions are of generally arched form thereby translating atmospheric- .pressure into compression in such arched portions and balancing the pressures between opposite -sides at said contacting portions. .4 In the fabrication of vessels of vitreous material, it is preferred that Pthe opposing portions be not fused togetherin order that stresses from contraction and expansion will not crack the glass. However, in the embodiments of the in?4 vention shown, the passages formed within the device by the pinching together of the opposing Walls must be isolated from each other, vinsofar as the passage of a discharge through a gaseous medium is concerned, and therefore they must approach each other so closely that, were the device made by the usual method, the walls would stick together and crackup upon cooling. Therefore it is provided in fabricating this device, that the-approaching portions of the opposing='walls do. notr actually touclr 'eac-h other while :the glass ishot, but areseparatedfbysaI-.fvery small space sufficient-to .prevent' actuali foon-tact during fabrication, but still so small that the pressure y'of the atmosphere' sutllces''to" ibring.-v them together vwhen the device lis evacatedf'and chargedwith gas at a low pressure; f The fopposingwalls 'are' so formed that the fcontacting of'opposing'ridges forms adischarge passage-through the device. :The process of. fabric'ating/.thesei devices is disclosedv 'in my PatentiNo.-f1-,867,154f. s s :j

object f .tlii'sinvehtion is to provide .an illuminatin'grdevicefof the. general character illustrated,"formed'from asingle bulbof vitreous ma` terialzfA Lffi :il (e) 3 fz-A'ifurth'erobject' :toprovide a gaseousconz-v ductordischarge r.device-"having an extended passageatherethroughrformed by the pressing -together :'of yportions ofopposing walls thereof-x A further object is .-to" provideagaseous-'conductorz discharge'rdevice"havingfa .tortuous passage therethroughffwhich;imay Toe 'fabricated in a 'veryl simple mannerV and'fwhich will, upon Ibeing evacuated,- close. together yas `regards the A'spacing of the opposing walls, thereby improving the seal between thevarious 'portionsof the passage.'4 A further object of the invention is vto provide a new" and -novelimethodl of---sealing different regions of "a gaseous conductor 4device from each Anotherfobject is to-provide Aan electrode .terminal for lagaseous conductor lamp in which both electrodes ar'e made'inthe same terminali chamber and are-'isolated from' each other by simple means inserted before 'completing the lamp.

= A further vobject is to vprovide a tubeless gaseous conductor "sign in which'characters are formed without return bend portions. That is to say, all of "the portions of the passage from one terminal to the other'lie virtually in :a single plane, those portions which are not of the character proper lbeing rendered' comparatively nonluminous by means set -forth below.

Another objectiof the invention is to provide a device of the'type described having a reservoir for reserve gas.

Another object of the'invention is to provide a display character in which the minimum amount'of energy is consumed in the portions of the discharge path not 'necessary for the character proper. f

Another object is to provide a display character formed by the pressing together of opposing Walls having a round frame-like effect completely surrounding the character for the purpose of enhancing the appearance thereof.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification' and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a grid-like gaseous conductor illuminating device made according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is am end eleva-tion of thesame. g

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the device shown in Fig. 1, taken on the line 3-3 of Figflr.-

Fig. 4 is a perspective view oi the blan'l; shownk in Fig. 1 from which the device hasbeen fabri-Jv cated.

the device shown in Fig. 1 in the arrow5in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section through the device takenA` on.; the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, showing the condition of the walls of the vessel atten the areiabrie cated, and beziore the dev-iee-hasbeem pumped.: Fig. 'I is the samesectionshowing the condi, tion of the wallsof the vessel'after the` sama has.

beenepumped. v ,.z

Figs. 8', 9, 10', 1'1l and. lrzpilhistrate-.a variation of the invention', showing; a' grid-like illuminating device in which both terrxei-inalsx` areY providedirr a single enclosure.. In this embodimentsja new type: of terminal construction=- is shown..4 Fig. 8- is a plan'view, Fig.-9 isa. sectiomta-keit on the. line 9 9 of Fig. 8, Fig. lfis. aisectiorrf taken on the 10e-10 of Fig. Il: isaperspective 'view ci thvtemrirmali portion disconnected from the device, amid 12. is a1 viewv cfa portion of the flexible baile used to separate the tWQLel'ectrodes and direct'the dischargeinto the passage. Figsl`13, M and' 15.= illustrate anotheriyariatiorr of lthe invention im a double: outline4 lumie nous letter is formada ma attemedl-vessel made according. tdthisinvemtion, i Figs- 16;- I'R 18',I and; liifilihrstmate-.another..=emel bodimexrti of the ginventions in whichl aisingle onty line luminous-sign.' 'letter isprorv-ided im a-flat: tenedvessel made accord-inagcttlxfinvention. .K Referring now to the-drawings, numeral7 1, Fig.v 1, indicates a finished vessel maxleracccrding to this' inventionr formed by thepressing; together of the opposite walls di a partlycompleted vessel: indicatedl by numeraLZiim Figx.. The -vesseiw-Z in Fig. 4 is provided with a tube 3 by means of. which. pressure is applied to-fblow ite into a suitableI die, as set- .forthf in .Patent-No. 1,86*?,154 above referred to, the` pinched together portions, 4,V 5f, 6, 8; 9 and 1.0' the completed vessel serving to isolate' the' separate legs ofl the tortuous grid-like passage from/each other, the passage' beingl indicated. by 110A andthe varioris sections of the same by lil, 12, 13, 114,5 .1151l6', 1'?. and 18. The electrode terminals 19 and 20 are then sealed in place by first blowingcut the porti-ons indicated by 21 and 22 onthe" blank shown in Figr 2, it being understoodrthat.; these portions are not. blown out until after: the walls are pressed together, the usual typevof internal discharge electrode being'. used, indicated by 23- and 24 having lead-in conductors 25fand 26. The opposing walls of the vessel are pressed together preferably without touching but so close that upon the drawing of a vacuum withinsaid passage, they come together and touch :with surdi--v cient area of contact to isolate the diiezrent legs of the discharge passage from eachother.-A Itis to be noticed at 27 in Fig. 7 that the opposing parts of the Wall will not come as close together directionof :the

at the places such as 28 in Fig. 5 as they do in other places since the leakage passage being longer at such places, compensates for the failure to completely close. The device is sealed oil as indicated by 29 in Fig. 1 after it is pumped and processed by known methods and provided with a suitable ionization conductor.

Referring now to the variation of the inventionas .shown-im Figs. 8; tof12;-I':have here provided `for placing vboth 'electrode terminals in a single enclosure. The general method of fabriacating this device is the same as that in the tpreceding illustration, the tubulation being indicated' as at 35 and the tube 36 being provided 'for' the electrode chamber. Fig. 5 is a perspective view oda comer-of..

The electrodes 38 "and.39 are secured to the lead-in conductors 40 and 41 which ,aresealed in the reentrant stem '42. The fexibleibai'ert of glass wool or similar ,flexible dielectric material, is provided to isolate the two electrodes from each other.

' 'It will benptic'ed in" Fig. 8' that this baille 43 isolates' the twdportionsifi and 45' ofthe chamber'Sd in the `tul'iefrom each other, thereby directing thedischargelintothev channels 4T andI 48k-'the passage'between-the two electrodes thus including thef'entire formed by the pressing together'of'portiohs o fthe opposite wallsA 49 and indicated' byil'l-LIIZ, 113, 11'4, 115, 1'16, Il'lglIS, lll9a'm'd 12091111: this instance also it is prer'erred that' theiportons of the opposing walls that aref'pre'ssd'together be' pressed' so closely that upon the drawing of a vacuum, they will virtually'touch'` but stil-l4 willnot stick together when the' glass is'hot.

- Figs. 13-,14and 15 show a character-ves'- se'l' in" whichf-al dbublejoutliriel'etter- 'is provided in:` a atdlvice. Around the edge' of the--devieei's a rolled chamber GU'which, 'while not participa#A ing as a'passageway'for the discharge,V nevertheless serves as a strengthening rim and also enhances' the'appea-rairlce'of the vessel, 'as well as protiidinga reservechairrber for'gas. This passageway i's blocked off "by 'baille's of'flexible'mah' terial," suchas glass'fwool indicated by'V Gland 62', and: the two eiectro'desGB and 64 in' the errclosure 65 are isolated from 'each other by the baiile '66,v `this devicehaving a reentrant stem 6"!7 'and two lead-in conductors 68' and 69, as in the priorillustratiorr. It will beseen that the passageway '7U forming the letter R" Vterminates in' thepassages 'llaynd 'IZHIeading tothe cham-v bers' enclosing'the electrodes. The cross sectional area of these passages is ,considerably greater thanv thatoif'the passageway '70 in order that'the' discharge in the passages '71 and '72 may be virtually non-luminou'sas compared with the discharge in' the passageway 70. The object of this feature is fully' described in a previously filed colpendingl application of mine. The charnber 60 in this device serves as a gas reservoir. the baffles 61 62 and 66 being pervious to gas but not to the discharge. f In the device shown in Figs. 16 to 19, a fiat single outline letter character is shownQin this case the letter E which is formed by the passages 90, 91 and"92, which are connected together by the enlarged passageways 93 and 94 and communicate with the electrodes -95 and 96 through the enlarged passageways 97 and 98. This construction provides in a single plane all of the passageways for any letter or character. thereby eliminatingthe doubled-back 'portions o-f the prior art. devices,` being an important and useful deviceinv theart.. The bailles 99 and 100 vice comprising an evacuated envelope having a pair of extended spaced walls provided with in. wardly extending formations partially defining a tortuous passageway therebetween, an electrode chamber into which both ends of said passage open, a pair of electrodes in said chamber and V a barrier member of resilient discharge stopping I surfaces of which are divided into a group of portions of outwardly arching form and a plurality of inwardly extending portions between the arches the innermost portions of which on each wall touch like portions on the opposing wall and are held thereagainst by the unbalanced pressure of the atmosphere on the outside of said device, agroup. oi said arches defining a tortuous discharge-passage betweensaid walls, a gaseous conducting medium at a low pressure therewithin and means to pass current throughsaid discharge passage.

9. luminescent device comprising an evacuated envelope including a pair of extended spaced walls of thin resilient vitreous material the major surfaces of which are divided into a group of portions of outwardly arching form anda plurality of inwardly extending portions between the arches the innermost portions of which on each wall touch like portions on the opposing wall and are held thereagainst by the unbalanced pressure oi' the atmosphere on the outside of said envelope, a group of said arches joining to provide a single continuous discharge passageway between said walls deiining a character incapable of being defined by a single line without crossing over itself or returning over its ownfcourse, said passageway including a plurality of portions deflnitive of portions of said character, and another group of portions not included in said character outline and of enlarged cross sectional area, ali of said portions forming one continuous passagewaynot crossing ofverl itself and not returning over its own course, a gaseous conducting medium at a low pressure therein and means to pass current. therethrough.

10. A gaseous conduction device consisting of an evacuated envelope containing a gaseous conductor at a low pressure and having a pair of spaced extended walls of vitreous material provided with inwardly extending formations and a barrier member of resilient discharge stopping material positioned between said walls, said formations and said barrier member-cooperating to define a tortuous discharge passage between said walls, and means to pass current through said passage.

V FRED HOTCHNER. 

